On A Rainy Day
by Letyourmindsoar
Summary: Ryoma is acting...different. So Eiji and Momo get a few of the other regulars to join them as they follow their baby boy. What they see...is unexpected. Oneshot.


A/N: I do not own Prince of Tennis.....sadly.

Okay, this is a oneshot I wrote while I was procrastinating. *best friends throws a tennis ball at her* I know already! I'll do my work. Jeez!

Please enjoy. Reviews are nice too.

* * *

Ryoma walked into the locker room. He opened his locker and pulled out a can of grape Ponta. He took a few long gulps, finishing it. He threw it into the trashcan with perfect aim. He put his racket into his tennis bag and slung the bag over his shoulder. He tugged on the brim of his Fila cap as he began to walk out. However, Momo and Eiji blocked his exit. "Ochibi, where are you going, nya?" Eiji asked.

"Yeah, Echizen, you haven't even changed yet!" Momo said.

"Tch. I'm going to practice on the street courts." Ryoma said. He walked right through his senpai-tachi. He left no room for protests.

"Oi! Echizen!" Momo called after him, but Ryoma just continued on his way.

"Mou, what's wrong with Ochibi? I thought he didn't play on the street courts, nya!"

"He doesn't unless he's with someone." Momo was quiet for a moment as he thought. "Besides, he has a tennis court in his backyard…"

"Let's follow him, nya! Ochibi has been acting down the past few days anyway." Eiji suggested.

"Aa, let's go." Momo agreed.

"Go where?" Fuji asked. Oishi was standing just behind him.

"We're going to follow Ochibi, nya!" Eiji said.

"Senpai!" Momo shouted.

"Fshuu, don't shout, baka." Kaidou said.

"What was that, mamushi?" Momo shouted back.

"Are you deaf too? I said don't shout!"

"You want to fight?"

"Against a baka like you? Fshuu…"

"I'm not a baka, baka mamushi!"

"Silence!" Tezuka deep, strong voice rang over the others. Inui and Kawamura were behind him. Inui was scribbling in his notebook, as always.

"Oh no! Ochibi might be far away already! Hurry!" Eiji said, quickly grabbing his belongings.

"You're right!" Momo said, grabbing his as well.

"Where are you going?" Kawamura asked.

"To follow Ochibi, nya!" Eiji said.

"Follow Echizen, eh? Data…" Everyone could've _sworn_ there was a glint on Inui's glasses. An evil glint, that is. "I'm going to come along."

"Saa, I can't let the three of you leave me out." Fuji glanced at Tezuka. "I suppose you would like to come too, ne Tezuka? It _does_ involve your subordinate after all."

Tezuka took one glance at Fuji's 'I dare you to oppose me' smile and said, "Hn."

"Wait, why are we following him? Is there something wrong with him? Is he sick? Is he cutting himself? Did he leave a suicide note?" Oishi had gone from 'normal fukubuchou' to 'mother hen.'

"You can come too, Oishi nya! Just hurry up!" Eiji was bouncing up and down. He didn't want to let Ryoma get too far ahead.

"Fshuu...I'm going to practice more," Kaidou walked away.

"Sorry, but I have to help my otou-san today." Taka-san scratched the back of his head.

"Then, it's just the six of us! Let's go!" Momo shouted. He ran off, in the same direction Ryoma had taken. The others followed.

Eventually, they found the fifteen-year-old boy. Despite Inui's milk diet and his age, he was still pretty short. In fact, he was the shortest freshman. His unique emerald hair, though, helped one when trying to find him. Ryoma's senpai-tachi followed him into the train station, and then onto the train itself. Fortunately, it was a crowded train. Ryoma couldn't see them. It didn't look like he was paying attention to anything anyway. Ryoma was completely zoned out.

"Saa, Ryoma is quite unobservant." Fuji said.

"He seems preoccupied with something. Do you think he is worried? Maybe it's about a family matter? What if he's being abused? Could he be—" Oishi was panicking.

"Oishi." Tezuka's voice silenced him.

Inui adjusted his glasses "Those are all very unlikely, Oishi. We've seen him in the locker rooms. If he were abused, his body would've been marked with bruises or cuts."

"Ah! It looks like he's getting off. Come on!" Momo said. They all followed him.

Ryoma left the train station and began walking. He wasn't paying special attention to where he was going, though. It seemed that he had already memorized this route. This familiarity enabled him to think about other things, which he took advantage of. Then, he abruptly stopped. He turned left, entering a florist's shop. He exited a few moments later, holding a bouquet of deep blue irises.

"Eh? Flowers? Is he going on a date?" Oishi wondered aloud.

"Again, that is very unlikely. He would've changed into nicer clothes if that were true." Inui said.

Momo started laughing. "Like Echizen could actually get a girlfriend! It'll probably happen when pigs start to fly."

"Saa, the only way to find out is to follow him, ne Tezuka?" Fuji flashed another one of _those_ smiles at his buchou.

"Hn." Tezuka really hated that smile. He was the captain. He should have power over his subordinates. Then again, having power of Fuji was impossible. He inwardly sighed. He hoped that he still had aspirin in his bag. If he was out…this situation could be bad. It could be very, _very_ bad indeed.

"Don't worry, Tezuka. I have some painkillers in my bag." Fuji said. He smiled at Tezuka, an innocent smile. Or, well, that was what he would've believed if he didn't know Fuji. However, he did know Fuji. So, he knew that that smile was the exact _opposite_ of innocent. He inwardly sighed again. It couldn't be very bad. Why? It was _already_ very bad. For Fuji to have aspirin for Tezuka meant that Fuji was planning something…to make Tezuka _need_ aspirin.

"Mou, I can't think of any place that Ochibi would be heading to. Why is he holding flowers anyway, nya?" Eiji asked as they took another turn.

His question was answered, though. They had reached their destination: a cemetery. Inui muttered, "Visiting a grave, eh? Data…"

Oishi was about to say something, but Momo firmly clamped his hand over the fukubu—mother hen's mouth. The six made their way through the cemetery, trying to be as inconspicuous and silent as possible. It did help that there were other people visiting graves. The sounds they made helped hide the regulars' noise. Finally, Ryoma stopped at a grave near a cherry blossom tree. He knelt down and placed the bouquet in front of the grave. He clasped his hands together. He began to speak, in a quiet voice.

"Sorry for not visiting you recently, Yuuki. I had tennis practice. I'm on a team now." Ryoma paused. "Heh, you probably think that I've changed. My only teammate before was you."

"Eh? So, it's a girl that he used to play tennis with! What were the probabilities of that?" Momo asked.

"There was a ninety percent chance that it was a relative. The remaining ten percent was that it was a close friend." Inui said. He was scribbling things down in his notebook. "I—"

"Saa, it doesn't look like he's going to stop talking. We should be quiet, ne Tezuka?" Fuji smiled at the other four. His smile was sweet…too sweet. It said 'would you like a very slow, painful death? It's going to happen if you don't listen to me.'

"Aa." Tezuka also wanted to hear what Ryoma had to say, not that he was showing that on his face. His mask was still intact…and so was his migraine.

"I've played a lot of strong players. I wish you were still here, so you could've played them too. We could've played the Golden Pair, which is Oishi-senpai and Eiji-senpai. They're one of the best pairs I've seen, aside from us. Our synchronization always amazed Oyaji, no matter how many times he saw it."

"Data…Echizen playing doubles…" Inui muttered. He immediately regretted speaking, though, when Fuji sent him that super sweet smile.

"The other members of the regulars team are Tezuka-buchou, Fuji-senpai, Kawamura-senpai, Inui-senpai, Momo-senpai, and Kaidou-senpai." The corners of Ryoma's lips turned up. It was a very slight change, but the regulars still noticed it. He was smiling. "Ah, this is Seigaku's jersey by the way. You'd probably like it, ne Yuuki?"

"Ochibi really seems to care for this Yuuki, nya! Maybe he had a crush on her!" Eiji whispered excitedly.

"Kikumaru! Ten extra laps tomorrow at practice." Tezuka said. His headache had lessened somewhat.

"Mou, why—" Eiji stopped. Fuji was smiling at him too.

"You probably would've gotten along with senpai-tachi too. I wish you could meet them. They're my closest friends, but I'd never tell them that. I wonder what they'd say if they learned that they were my first true friends since your death." A tear leaked out of the corner of Ryoma's eyes. "Tch, and I was hoping I wouldn't cry this time. Your eye is too emotional, Yuuki." More tears fell.

Ryoma's senpai-tachi were shocked. Their baby boy was _crying_. The arrogant, rude, stubborn, cocky _brat_ that they came to know and love was crying. Inui treated this as extremely important data, and his pen practically flew across the paper. Oishi was close to fainting. Eiji was still…too still to be Eiji. Tezuka's eyes showed a mix of emotion. Fuji had almost been unaffected, except when even more tears fell. His ocean colored eyes flew open, and a light breeze blew through the cemetery.

Then, the regulars remembered that Ryoma had called them his "closest friends." He had said they were "his first true friends." They all felt so touched that Ryoma would think of them that way. It really was a heart-warming experience, since they felt the same way about their baby boy. Inoue, the reporter from Tennis Monthly, had said they were a tightly knit group. He probably wasn't expecting them to be _this_ close.

Ryoma wiped away the tears from his eyes and cheeks. His tears had slowed to only a few drops. He wiped those away too. He sniffled a few times before standing up. "I'll be right back, Yuuki. I'm going to get a can of grape Ponta, your favorite flavor." Ryoma put his tennis bag next to the grave and walked off.

"Let's go look at the grave before he comes back!" Momo suggested. His senpai-tachi agreed. They approached the grave. Tezuka read what was inscribed on it aloud.

_Echizen Yuuki_

_A bright star_

_Gone too soon_

_One that always smiled_

_Worked and tried hard_

_Until the very end_

_December 24, 1993 – August 29, 2002_

In front of the grave was a picture frame that the six hadn't noticed it before. The picture was of a young girl. She looked exactly like Ryoma, except more feminine and with longer hair. She would've grown up to be a real beauty. Eiji said, "That's Ochibi's birthday, nya."

Oishi continued, "And it's his family name."

"So, it wasn't a friend." Momo said. "It was a family member."

"Saa…that means there's only one possibility left. It was his twin sister." Fuji's smile was now gone. He wanted to hold the boy in his arms and tell him it was okay. He didn't want to see those tears anymore. Watching Ryoma cry was like watching Yuuta cry, and he hated it when Yuuta cried. It hurt him…but when did he start thinking of Ryoma as a little brother? It could be…no, he could think about that later. It was Ryoma right now that he had to think about it.

"Everyone…what are you doing here?" Ryoma's voice came from behind him. They all turned around. He was standing there, holding a Ponta can.

"Echizen, is this the grave of your twin sister?" Tezuka asked. Fuji looked at him; was he crazy? He juts flat out asked someone if they were visiting their dead twin! Then, Fuji looked closer. Tezuka's eyes were very kind and gentle, and Fuji understood his intentions. Tezuka wanted to make sure of the situation, so they could truly comfort Ryoma. Neither of them wanted to make Ryoma feel as if he had uncaring or misunderstanding senpai-tachi.

Ryoma was silent. He didn't look at his senpai-tachi. He hadn't really wanted anyone to know about Yuuki. He didn't want sympathy or pity. He wanted real friends; people who befriended him because they liked him. One of the things he hated the most was a fake friend. Then, he sighed. The regulars _were_ real friends, and he trusted them. "Hai, Buchou."

"Why didn't you tell us, nya?" Eiji asked.

Ryoma paused. The whole explanation had just run though his head. He didn't really want to voice his thoughts. So, he settled for a shrug.

Fuji turned around, his back towards Ryoma. He knelt down in front of the grave and put his hands together. He said, "I wish you were here, Yuuki-chan. I wish you could see how your brother has grown. I wish you could see how fortunate he is. He has so many senpai-tachi that really care for him. He is just like a little brother towards us. Please give us your blessing from above, Yuuki-chan." Fuji opened his eyes and smiled at the grave. It was a genuine smile. "We'll take care of your twin, promise."

Fuji stood up. He motioned to the other regulars. They all bowed in unison. This motion really touched Ryoma. He couldn't remember a gesture so kind and warm as this one. He felt a tear leak out of his right eye again. "Jeez, your eye is too emotional, Yuuki." Ryoma wiped away the tear. "Thank you, everyone. I'm sure Yuuki would thank you too."

"Hoi, hoi! Don't worry about, nya Ochibi!" Eiji pounced on him, hugging the poor boy to death.

"Eiji! Let him go! Look! He's turning blue! Eiji!" Oishi, in mother hen mode, ran over. He tried to pull Eiji off Ryoma…unsuccessfully.

"…air…" Ryoma choked out.

"Eh? Sorry, sorry Ochibi!" Eiji let go. He patted his kouhai on the head.

"Kikumaru! Another ten laps tomorrow! You're in a cemetery! Show respect!" Tezuka commanded.

"Eh? Buchou!" Eiji whined.

"Fifteen!" Tezuka said.

"But—"

"Twenty!"

"Saa, Tezuka has a point. We don't want to make a bad first impression in front of Yuuki-chan, ne Tezuka?" Fuji asked. He smiled at his buchou. Tezuka glanced at the shorter boy from the corner of his eye. He nodded.

"Data…Tezuka despises disrespect…" Inui muttered.

"Baka Echizen! You shouldn't hide stuff like this from your senpai-tachi. You shouldn't!" Momo got Ryoma into a headlock.

"Tch! Momo-senpai, let go!" Ryoma struggled to get away from his senpai's grip.

"Momoshiro! Five extra laps! You should show respect!" Tezuka said.

"Hai!" Momo immediately let go of Ryoma.

"Saa, that ruined the heart-warming mood, ne Tezuka?" Fuji smiled at his buchou, again.

"Hn." Tezuka began to wish Fuji would stop smiling at him. How many times has he smiled at him already? There should be a limit on Fuji's teasing! No, but that's impossible. Fuji _is_ Fuji, after all. He was starting to wish he had some aspirin. Tezuka took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. It had become a habit of his after he became buchou.

"Would you like a pill, Tezuka?" Fuji held out a bottle of aspirin.

Tezuka blinked at him. Then, he blinked again. He put his glasses back on and said, "Aa." He took one pill and Fuji's offered water bottle. He inwardly let out a sigh of relief as the pain began to recede.

He saw Ryoma smirking at him. "Mada mada dane, Buchou!" Tezuka said nothing.

"Oi! Echizen, I just remembered. What did you mean by 'your eye is too emotional, Yuuki?' You said it twice." Momo asked.

"Aa, I noticed that too. What _did _you mean?" Oishi asked. He was back to a normal fukubuchou.

"I meant exactly what I said." Ryoma pointed to his right eye. "Yuuki's eye is too emotional. When I cry, tears come out of this one first."

"Eh? Really? Every time you cry, it comes out of your right eye first?" Momo asked.

"Aa." Ryoma answered.

"Data…Echizen cries out of his right eye first…" Inui muttered.

"Saa, that's a bit odd." Fuji smiled at Tezuka. "Ne, Tezuka?"

Tezuka inwardly twitched. There it was: that smile…_again_. "Hn."

"Ochibi! Why do you keep calling it 'Yuuki's eye?' It can't be her eye. It's your eye, nya!" Eiji said.

Ryoma sighed. "It _is _her eye. I was born with a blind right eye. She—"

"Eh? Ochibi was?" Eiji exclaimed.

"Saa, we'll never know if we don't let him finish, ne Tezuka?" Fuji smiled that super sweet smile at the redhead. This time, however, it was even sweeter.

"Hn." Tezuka really was wishing Fuji would stop asking for his opinion.

"Tch. Anyway, Yuuki had a blind left eye. So, we'd always walk with me on the left and her on the right. When she got sick, she offered her right eye to me. I didn't want to take it, but she insisted. After the surgery to switch our right eyes was finished, she died." Ryoma said. Yet another tear leaked out of his right eye.

"Saa, giving you perfect vision was like her parting gift, ne?" Fuji said. He put a hand on Ryoma's shoulder. Tezuka walked closer as well.

"I guess," Ryoma replied.

"Echizen's twin gave him her right eye…" Inui muttered. "_This_ is good data…"

"Wait! Doesn't that mean she was blind for her last day?" Momo asked.

"Momoshiro! Another five extra laps!" Tezuka commanded. His migraine was coming back. He'd need another pill from Fuji at this rate.

Ryoma shook his head, and tears began to stream down his face. "I think that, at the end, she saw more than I did…and ever would. She must've known her time was coming. That's why she asked for the surgery."

"Saa, we'll never know, ne Tezuka?" Fuji had a soft smile directed towards Ryoma.

"Aa." Tezuka replied. He looked up. He had felt a drop of water on his hair. Dark clouds swirled overhead. It began to sprinkle a few drops. It began to drizzle. It began to rain. It began to pour down, but none of the regulars moved.

Then, a wistful look took over Ryoma's features. "No. I'm sure of it. Yuuki saw perfectly…right to the end." Ryoma felt small arms slide around his neck from behind. He reached up his hand. In between his fingers was a shadow of long, emerald hair. "You saw everything, Yuuki." It wasn't a question, rather a statement. He felt a nod on his right shoulder.

"You saw…on a rainy day."


End file.
